Calendula - Calendula officinalis - Topical panacea or just so-so?

Calendula is one of the most embraced plants by beginners in Western herbalism. Why do we love it so much? Let's go just a little bit deeper than the claims often repeated, and repeated, and repeated, by folk use, blogs, articles written by bots, and that lady thrusting a little jar of salve towards you. Calendula was one of my favorites for topical use as well, by versatility and familiarity. That is to say that it's gentle, and customers love it. Let's see if we can say a bit more about how and why. 🐛